Georgia. Secretary of State

The Secretary of State is an elected constitutional official in the state of Georgia. One of his or her many duties is acting as the keeper of the Great Seal of Georgia. Samuel G. McLendon served as Georgia's Secretary of State from 1919 until 1928, when he died in office.

From the description of Georgia, Secretary of State seal certification, 1921. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 163567252

Source:

Jackson, Edwin L. and Stakes, Mary E. Handbook of Georgia State Agencies. 2d ed. Athens: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1988.

Next to the governor, the secretary of state is the oldest office in the executive branch of state government in Georgia. The first statutory recognition was in 1777, when the legislature passed an act specifying certain duties for the secretary of state and the surveyor general with regard to grants of land. Following the Revolutionary War, the constitution of 1789 provided that the Great Seal of the state would be deposited in the office of the secretary, but made no other reference to the office. The constitution of 1798 formally established both the secretary of state and the surveyor general as constitutional offices, to be, like the governor, elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term of office. A constitutional amendment in 1824 provided for popular election of the governor but did not change the procedure for selecting the secretary of state.

The constitutions of 1861, 1865, and 1868 continued both the secretary of state and surveyor general but provided that the General Assembly could consolidate the offices. This was done by 1861 and 1865 enactments which provided that the secretary perform all duties of the surveyor general.

The constitution of 1868 extended the secretary of state's term to four years to correspond with the lengthened term of the governor. The constitution of 1877 reduced the term of elected officers to two years, but, more importantly, made the secretary of state a statewide elective office. In 1945, the term for constitutional officers was raised to its present length--four years.

Throughout its history, numerous statutory enactments have expanded or modified the office of secretary of state and its powers. In 1906, the secretary was designated by the General Assembly as ex officio corporations commissioner. In 1920, he was named as a member of a new Securities Commission, although in the Executive Reorganization Act of 1931, the powers of the Commission were transferred to the secretary. Later, in 1953, the secretary of state was named ex officio commissioner of securities. The 1931 reorganization act also placed administration of the various examining boards for occupations and professions under the jurisdiction of the secretary of state, and transferred responsibility for the Department of Archives and History to the secretary. Thereafter, though still named a department, archives functioned as a division within the secretary of state's office.

In 1951, legislators created the Georgia Historical Commission within the secretary of state's office. In 1964, enactment of a new state election code created the State Election Board and increased the role of the secretary of state in the administration of federal, state, and local elections in Georgia.

The Executive Reorganization Act of 1972 attached to the secretary's office for administrative purposes the Claims Advisory Board, the Georgia Commission for the National Bicentennial Celebration, and the State Pharmacy Board. Passage of the Georgia Records Act in 1972 created the State Records Committee (with the secretary designated as chairman) and placed new responsibilities on the Department of Archives with respect to maintenance, retention, and disposition of governmental records.

In 1973, the functions of the Georgia Historical Commission were transferred from the office of the secretary to the Department of Natural Resources. This action by the General Assembly abolished the commission as a separate entity.

The constitution of 1976 made no changes affecting the secretary of state. The constitution of 1983 reduced the minimum state residency requirement for executive constitutional officers from six years to four.

From the description of Agency history. (Georgia Department of Archives and History Library). WorldCat record id: 82475651